Shaan's interview

'Today's singers scream'

Singer Shaan tells Amrita Roychoudhury that there is a lack of good singers in the industry today

How difficult is it to be on the top slot?

• I don't view my success as if I am on a race-course. You can only do what you are capable of. I want to enjoy whatever I am doing and don't want to turn this into some kind of competition. We are not indispensable. It is very important to maintain a proper balance between your professional front and your family life. Only then can you be happy and feel satisfied. But at the moment, I'm loving every bit of my success. I can't complain about anything.
According to you, who is the best singer in Bollywood today?

• It is very difficult to answer that. But I would stick to my clich answer and say that the magic of Kishore Kumar or a Md Rafi can never be recreated.
So, what do you think today's singers really lack?

• I don't know what exactly they lack, but I consider myself to be the last among the old school of singers. I am really passionate about my work and always try to match the voice and expression of the person I am singing for. Today many singers don't follow this rule. They scream and screech so hard, sounding like a beggar at times. They completely lack tonality or subtlety. Even Abhijit and Sonu have a grouse against what is going on. As a playback singer, my voice should be friendly, natural and sound effortless so that the public are able to identify with it. It should not create a wall between the singer and the listeners.
You have been hosting reality shows. How real are they?

• Very real. In our times there were no such things. But today, youngsters are lucky to get such a platform. Such talent hunts are definitely giving them a chance to peep into the art form of film singing. I consider them as some kind of a crash course for the beginners.
Recently there have been controversies about Abhijit quitting the reality show that you are hosting after he had a fight with Adesh Srivastava. Do these really happen or are they mere gimmicks?

• Mein Gita pe haath rakh ke bol sakta hu ki these are absolutely real and not gimmicks. We never do it to increase our TRP ratings. I don't think it's possible for anyone to act so brilliantly in front of more than 500 people watching the shows live. They are singers, not good actors. Besides, it is also not possible for a director to take retakes in such situations. We have to work in a closed area for hours together. Sometimes it gets really strenuous. We are really fatigued at times. As a result, whenever they get a chance to release their emotions they do so. This is nothing but an outburst of stress and emotion that come together making it an ego battle.
But once these young talents step out of the contest they seem to disappear somewhere…

• No, I don't feel the same. Look at Abhijit Sawant or Debojit, they are both doing so well.
But they are nowhere to be seen in playback singing. How difficult is it to make inroads there?

• Yes it is true that none of them are doing playback. Something is seriously wrong and we need to figure that out and rectify accordingly. It takes a great deal of effort and courage to reproduce the old songs sung by our legends. They definitely gain a lot of public adulation for that. But I feel they lack the originality that is vital to establish oneself as a playback singer.
How do you rate yourself as a singer?

• For me it is an irony to even answer that question. The technology is so advanced now that you can always correct the pitch and quality post recording. But I would say that since there aren't many good singers around, I'm not that bad either.
What about an album?

• After Tanha Dil, I came up with a couple of albums but those weren't much of a hit and did mediocre business. But my next album is on the planning stage and will be out soon.
So what's brewing in the family front?

• Right now Soham, my five-year-old son is sitting on my lap and Shubh, who is two year old is sitting next to me. I am a happy father. My sister Sagarika's family is shifting base to London. So we are having a number of emotional farewell lunches and also trying to spend time with them.
Compositions today are more music oriented while melody has taken a backseat...Your views.

• Yes I agree to that completely. Everything has become so consumerbased today that we don't see a thing beyond our profit. Youngsters appreciate peppy and dance numbers. They like to party hard and prefer going to clubs. So louder compositions are the order of the day. But everything moves in a cycle. I think melodies will come back again.
You have also sung for Bengali films. What is the difference that you notice professionally?

• There isn't much of a difference. The songs that I sing are very similar to Hindi compositions. I am not singing a Baul or a Polli Giti. I sang for The Bong Connection which was a hit and appreciated by all.
Do you think that Bengalis are losing their original touch somewhere?

• In this age of globalisation you cannot say that anymore. It is high time that Bengalis become broad minded and start moving out of the cubicles. We cannot deny the fact that Bengalis are born art lovers and aesthetically sound. When I hear people saying 'tumi to banglar gorbo' I feel great, but it also reflects their narrow mindedness. Being a Bengali should be an asset and not a liability.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/

Very well said,Shaan.But,come on,most of the viewers dont think the conflicts between judges are genuine.We trust you,and whenn you say so we have to think over it.Confused!!

Originally posted by: sonyaee

'

• Mein Gita pe haath rakh ke bol sakta hu ki these are absolutely real and not gimmicks. We never do it to increase our TRP ratings. I don't think it's possible for anyone to act so brilliantly in front of more than 500 people watching the shows live. They are singers, not good actors. Besides, it is also not possible for a director to take retakes in such situations. We have to work in a closed area for hours together. Sometimes it gets really strenuous. We are really fatigued at times. As a result, whenever they get a chance to release their emotions they do so. This is nothing but an outburst of stress and emotion that come together making it an ego battle.

But once these young talents step out of the contest they seem to disappear somewhere…

• Yes it is true that none of them are doing playback. Something is seriously wrong and we need to figure that out and rectify accordingly. It takes a great deal of effort and courage to reproduce the old songs sung by our legends. They definitely gain a lot of public adulation for that. But I feel they lack the originality that is vital to establish oneself as a playback singer.


http://epaper.timesofindia.com/

the part about judges fighting not scripted i believe it.because i have seen a lot of very respected veterans completely lose it...when the camera is on everybody gets over excited and the ego tussles start..every comment is taken as a slight.And no one is NEUTRAL...

that most singers lack originality.their being able to reproduce originals will get them votes but not work is absolutely true.

we may enjoy songs like bichhua,nain ladgai hain'..but is a producer thinking wow!this voice suits my heroes or heroines personality...

that is why i have written in support of abhilasha's choices this week,she is smart..she has left"tu chanda" behind and is exploring new territories.with luck Sonu nigams words may just come true..the guest judges seem to appreciate in her singing what we the audeience are not understanding...

Originally posted by: sonyaee

• I don't know what exactly they lack, but I consider myself to be the last among the old school of singers. I am really passionate about my work and always try to match the voice and expression of the person I am singing for. Today many singers don't follow this rule. They scream and screech so hard, sounding like a beggar at times. They completely lack tonality or subtlety. Even Abhijit and Sonu have a grouse against what is going on. As a playback singer, my voice should be friendly, natural and sound effortless so that the public are able to identify with it. It should not create a wall between the singer and the listeners.

I disagree with this... Shaan is a good singer but very one-dimensional... If he says he tries to match the voice of the person he is singing for, I doubt it... His voice and type of songs he sings is very typical... And I dont find it right to call other singers bad and sounding like beggars😕

I love love Shaan!! He's right when he says the singers today scream and screech!! Soooo true!!

Shaan is a great singer and I adore him a lot. But I do think that we have quite many talented singers on board at the moment.. Yes, the great ones are only few but it took everyone time and hardwork to reach where they are.. Hopefully, the new aspiring singers will continue to strive in the same manner 😛 ~

Well, the very fact that Shaan is a part of almost every other album these days shows that MD's don't quite trust the abilities of the new breed of singers.

IMO, It will take 3-4 years for the new singers to settle in. Till then, we'll continue to hear Sonu, KK, Shaan and Kunal.

thanks he is my fav singer

In regard to the above post Hemachandra and Karunya are singing a lot in telugu movies and Karu cut his album and hema will be releasing his too.Hema is waiting for a break in Hindi.Quazi is history and so is sandeep and most of them except Nihira who is doing well for herself and himani with Zee.

^^ Hema is not singing much in Telugu either. Karunya, however has fairly established himself in the telugu playback scene. He also hosts the Saregamapa Li'l Champs on Zee Telugu.